Eliminating electricity in printing operations



Sept. 8, 1942. E. 0. SMITH 2,295,134

ELIMINATING ELECTRICITY IN PRINTING OPERATIONS Filed May 10, 1940INVEN'IIOR.

MMM

BY g

ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 8, 1942 ELIMINATING ELECTRICITY 1N PRINTING OPERATIONSErnest 0. Smith, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application May 10, 1940, Serial No. 334,392

3 Claims.

This invention relates more specifically to eliminating staticelectricity in printing operations.

During operations of cylinder printing presses considerable trouble hasbeen encountered due to static electricity which prevents the printedsheets from stacking evenly.

This condition is caused by the moving'parts of the press, and is alsoincreased or diminished due to weather conditions i. e., the staticbeing increased when the weather is damp or stormy. Sheets being runthrough the press become positively charged with static electricityresulting in one sheet repelling another, to such an extent that whenthe sheets are discharged from the cylinder after being printed theywill not stack evenly.

It is therefore, an object of the invention to provide a method of andmeans for eliminating static electricity generated during the operationof a printing press.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary section taken through a cylinder printing press.a

Fig. 2 is a top plan view on a reduced scale.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary face view of the static eliminating sheet.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawing l designates a portion of acylinder printing press, II the cylinder that is journalled in bearingsl2 carried by standards It. Mounted on the periphery of the cylinder isa permanent packing consisting of a plurality of paper sheets l5 andengaging the same is a, draw sheet l6 of usual form.

One of the ends of the packing and draw sheet is held in place on thecylinder by clamps l8, while their opposite ends are wound around drawbars I 9 and respectively, the packing and draw sheets extending betweenbarriers 2| formed on each end of the cylinder.

Mounted on a rock shaft 22 is a plurality of fingers 23 that grip theends of the sheets 24 as they are delivered from the feed board 25 tothe cylinder.

Disposed opposite the feed board is stripper 26 and arranged below thecylinder is a type bed 2| and a brush 29, the latter serving to clean,and at the same time insure proper registering of the sheets during aprinting operation.

It will be particularly noted that as the packing and draw sheets areformed of paper the cylinder becomes electrically insulated, hence thestatic electricity remains with or on the sheets after they have beenprinted.

The present invention resides in electrical conductive sheets 30designed to eliminate any static electricity that may be generatedduring the operation of the press, and are adapted to be applied tothe'cylinder of the press ,in the same manner as the packing and drawsheet as above described, or to be used in lieu thereof.

In fabricating the sheets 30 minute particles of metal such as copperand like metallic substances or any other electric conductive substance32 are thoroughly mixed with a paper pulp solution during themanufacture, the pulp then being drawn into sheets of any desiredthickness and calendered in the usual manner.

By forming packing and draw sheets of the composition above describedany static electricity on the sheets being printed will be conductedthrough the press cylinder and press frame to round.

I claim:

l. A device for eliminating static electricity from sheets of paperbeing printed on the cylinder of a cylinder printing press, a ferrousprinting press cylinder, a, packing sheet, and a draw sheet ofrelatively soft non-conductive electrical material impregnated withsmall particles of relatively hard electrical conductive materialoperatively positioned on the periphery of said ferrous cylinder toreceive the sheet of paper to be printed directly there against, wherebysubstantially the entire surface of said sheet being printed will be indirect electrical contact with said small particles of electricalconductive material at numer ous points.

2. In a device for eleminating static electricity from sheets of paperwhile in position on the cylinder of a cylinder printing press, sheetsof paper impregnated with small particles of relatively high electricalconductivity mounted on a ferrous cylinder to present numerouselectrical conductors extending from the outer surfaces of saidimpregnated paper sheets to the surfaces of said press cylinder, wherebystatic electricity produced in a sheet of paper to be printed directlyon the outer padded surface of said cylinder by the brushing operationwill be conducted by said small particles through said impregnated sheetto the cylinder of the press.

3. In a device for eliminating static electricity from sheets of paperbeing printed on the cylinder of a cylinder printing press, a ferrousprinting press cylinder, a packing sheet, and a draw sheet of relativelysoft electrical conductive material operatively positioned on theperiphery of said ferrous cylinder to receive the sheet of paper to beprinted directly thereagainst, whereby substantially the entire surfaceof said sheet being printed will be in direct electrical contact withsaid draw sheet.

ERNEST 0. SMITH.

